Over this past Christmas break I was able to travel to Michoacán, Mexico to see the monarch butterflies in their winter home. My style of travel is to follow my intuition and do what feels right. When you follow the lead of God or the Universe the pieces can fall into place in ways that you never could have prepared for yourself. For me the entire point of travel is connection and so I really cherish those moments of connection with people and with the culture.
In May I wrote in my journal that I wanted to visit this reserve before COMPLETELY forgetting about it. I forgot all about it until October when a co-worker designed a lesson plan based on monarch butterflies. I booked the ticket that very day without knowing where to stay or how to get there. Or that it was, in fact, a FOUR HOUR drive from Mexico City. But as pieces are wont to do, they fell into place in a beautiful way and everything turned out perfectly.
I want to use this post to write about my experience and about what worked for me in my travels, but without writing from the voice of a travel guide. These are the things that worked for me and some things I learned along the way.
Getting to El Rosario Butterfly Reserve
As I said before, when I booked my plane ticket to Mexico City I had no idea how I would get from there to El Rosario. It didn’t look too far on the map and I thought it would probably be possible to either rent a car or take a taxi. I didn’t realize that what appears a short distance is actually around a 4 hour drive. This is partially because the last part of the journey winds through narrow mountain roads and partially because of the hardcore speed bumps that pepper the route.
Details: For around $15 (275 pesos) you can catch a bus (Zinabus) from Mexico City Poniente Station to a little town called Angangueo which is very close to El Rosario. From there take a taxi (also around $15 depending on how much gringo tax they decide to charge you) to Ocampo where the butterfly reserve is located. The ride from Angangueo to Ocampo is around 30 minutes.
The Bus from Mexico City to Angangueo
The Poniente Bus Station is sprawling and big, many sellers and booths around the sidewalks on the outskirts offering basically anything you desire. I went straight to the Zinabus booth and asked for a ticket to Angangueo. Minutes later I found myself sitting on a bus next to an old woman with gray braids trailing down her back and a shawl. We had a companionable silence but chuckled together when the guy selling tortas (A Mexican sandwich) and hamburguesas got trapped inside the bus for a few minutes when the doors shut him in.
I had a good experience with Zinabus. The bus was very comfortable and there were TVs here and there throughout the bus with movies playing consistently. Spanish, of course. The drive was very beautiful. Just outside of Mexico City lies a pine forest and throughout the journey there were mountains and farmland to admire. The bus also stops along its route to let passengers off at different spots. I was one of the last passengers to leave because Angangueo is almost at the end of the line.
From Angangueo to Ocampo in Taxi
I arrived in Angangueo at around 4 in the afternoon. I got off the bus without a plan, hoping that I would spot a taxi driver take me to my hotel. When I am in Mexico City I generally prefer to use Uber but I knew it wouldn’t be available in Angangueo. The Zinabus office in Angangueo is close to the center of the town. Angangueo is a small mountain town with steep streets bordered by colorful buildings. The air is crisp. There are trees and flowers all around.
I walked a few meters and found a whole group of taxi drivers just chatting and joking with each other. One took me up to my hotel, a 30 minute drive straight up a mountain.
Where to Stay Near El Rosario Butterfly Reserve
When I was researching my trip I stumbled upon information about a hotel called Rancho Cumbre Monarca and booked right away. From the pictures the hotel was super beautiful and since I thought I would be traveling with my kids, safe and clean and appearing to have things for kids to do. Usually when I travel alone I stay at questionable establishments. This hotel was not like that. I had been asking the Universe to help me find a place to stay and BOOM, there it was and with just ONE room left!
Rancho Cumbre Monarca has beautiful rooms and grounds. Each room has its own chiminea into which you can make a fire each night. They sell wood for around $8 a bundle and will send someone up to light it for you if you request it. There is a restaurant on site that serves delicious food and the option to sit inside or out. The grounds are basically like a garden with nature trails through pine trees, sitting areas and play areas for kids (there’s a trampoline and even a tree house). All around are chickens and ducks, and there is a pen with sheep. It was so nice and peaceful, much different than the types of places I usually stay!
The First Morning & Getting to El Rosario
After the taxi ride I had dinner and enjoyed the grounds for a while before requesting someone to light the fire in my chiminea and going to bed.
The next morning I knew that I would visit El Rosario that day but I didn’t have any idea how I’d get down there. I had been reading Louise Hay’s book throughout the trip and doing spiritual work as well. One of the things I had been working on that morning was the idea that I am indeed NOT a burden and can, in fact, rely on other humans to meet my needs. It felt amazing to affirm this because it was countering an idea that had been causing me anxiety all morning.
At breakfast I started chatting with an American family and asked them if they had visited El Rosario yet. They said no but that they were going to visit that day and, “would you like a ride down there?” Sure I would! The family had also arrived in Mexico City but had rented a car to do a road trip through Mexico with their two kids. It was really nice to meet them all. The mom said she had been to the reserve around 20 years before but at the time she arrived by hitchhiking and riding random buses.
El Rosario Butterfly Reserve
The walk up to El Rosario is a long one uphill past a lot of little shops and stalls. It costs 80 pesos for adults to enter (which is around $4). There are also paid restrooms there (reminder, this is GOOD) and a little shop where you can get some water. After you sign in there is an option to go up with a guide or alone, on foot or by horse.
I went up on foot and with a guide. I had to take a LOT of breaks because the trail is around 2km almost all uphill. My guide was really great. She pointed out hummingbirds and other birds along the way, and interesting plants. I asked about medicinal plants and she showed me some.
When we arrived at the top I couldn’t see any butterflies, just trees. It was around 10 am and mostly cloudy but with patches of sunlight breaking through the clouds every so often. I could see a few butterflies floating through the trees but wondered where the majority were. I asked, “those black clumps hanging down are all butterflies?” They were.
The butterflies are hard to see without the aid of binoculars or, in my case, my zoom lens. I sat on the ground on the side of the hill and took pictures of the clumps, zooming in to see details and waiting for the sun to come out so that I could see the butterflies in flight. Butterfly flight is activated by sunlight.
Sometimes butterflies would flitter down from the trees and land on visitors. One landed on me!
I went back again the next day in the afternoon (this time without a guide) and saw even more butterflies. It was later in the day and, therefore, sunnier.
Things to Bring to El Rosario
Be sure to bring something like binoculars so you can see the butterflies better. There is a a place where visitors are allowed to stand and a lot of the forest is blocked off. You can not go closer to the butterflies but have to maintain your spot in that particular area.
Also be sure to bring your cold weather gear because it was SO much colder than I expected and my hotel (and probably others) do not have heat.
Best Time to Visit El Rosario
I said before that I don’t want to sound like an expert or tour guide, but this is what I learned. The best time to visit El Rosario is between December and March since that is when the butterflies are in residence. Some local people told me that the butterflies are flying A LOT in February, so this might actually be the best month to go.
The locals told me that when it’s completely sunny the butterflies come all the way down the mountain and into the town, flying everywhere around. When I was there it was quite cold and a bit cloudy so the butterflies were not flying far.
It also seems better to visit in the afternoon when there is a better chance of the sun being out.
Moments of Connection
Some of my favorite moments on my trip were those moments in which I was able to connect to other travelers and local people. I loved meeting the family that I mentioned above. On the way back from El Rosario I met another couple. I sat with them in the grass petting local dogs and chatting about life. They were on their honeymoon and had come from Los Angeles.
We walked back to the hotel together. Katie, the wife was a photographer (with a real FILM camera) and took out her camera during the walk. I busted mine out too! We walked along taking pictures and admiring everything we saw. The husband, Brian was a writer. They had the best energy. Later that night I saw them again at the hotel and they invited me to play Rummy 500 with them in front of a fire, drinking teas and hot chocolates.
It was so amazing to be included. When I was married I used to force my ex-husband to play cards with me constantly but since then I hadn’t had anyone to play with. It was such a gift to be able to spend time with them, they were truly kindred spirits.
I also had some lovely conversations with local people. On the way back down from the mountains I walked through the stalls selling souvenirs. I bought some embroidered napkins and some hand-woven baskets made from the local pine. I also stopped in to eat lunch and chatted with the owner for a while.
Spiritual Lessons
Throughout my trip I was working on the spiritual work of loving myself and believing that I deserved love and connection. I am coming off of a really difficult period of time which had left me not feeling great. It felt good to affirm that I am worthy and valuable, and to see those beliefs being reflected in the world around me. It felt good to see that it was good and proper to trust in the goodness of people in the world.
Leading up to the trip was a little rocky. When I booked the tickets originally I planned on my children coming with me. I booked a hotel with them in mind. But then coming up to the trip my ex-husband told me that he wasn’t comfortable with the girls going to this part of Mexico because someone had told him that Michoacán was dangerous. Instead of fighting it or changing my plans I told him that he would have to keep the girls instead (and PLEASE take them somewhere fun so they aren’t disappointed!).
It turned out perfectly with me traveling alone. I think my girls would have had a difficult time hiking up the hill to see the butterflies and they would have been impatient waiting for them to fly. My being there alone also opened the way for those moments of connection that I described before. The Michoacán that I saw was not dangerous. The area around El Rosario is peaceful and rural. The people I met were friendly. It was a reminder that there is goodness everywhere.
